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Arthas Menethil
Arthas Menethil, Crown Prince of Lordaeron and Knight of the Silver Hand, was the son of King Terenas Menethil II and heir to the throne. He was trained as a paladin by Uther the Lightbringer, and had a romantic friendship with the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore. But despite his promising beginnings, Arthas became one of the most powerful and evil beings Azeroth would ever experience. = History = Prince Arthas Menethil was born to King Terenas Menethil II during the Second War. The young prince grew up in a time when the lands of Azeroth were ravaged by war, the Alliance was crumbling, and darker clouds still loomed on the horizon. As a youth, Arthas was trained in combat by Muradin Bronzebeard, the brother of the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard, and became an adept swordsman. Under the tutelage of Uther the Lightbringer, Arthas became a disciple of the Silver Hand at the young age of 19. Despite his rash and headstrong behavior, Arthas became a reknowned warrior. One of his more famed exploits was counterattacking a group of forest trolls striking at Quel'Thalas from Zul'Aman. It was during this time that Arthas met the youngest daughter of Daelin Proudmoore, the sorceress Jaina. Over the years, they grew quite close, and struck up a romantic relationship. In the end though, Jaina's magical studies in Dalaran and Arthas' commitments in Lordaeron forced them to remain apart for long stretches of time. The two youths decided to maintain their strong friendship and put the romance on ice until a better time could arise for them. Troubles began to stir in Lordaeron. Orcs broke free of their internment camps, and there was troubling news of a plague that had gripped the northlands. Arthas and Uther were sent to Strahnbrad to defend the town from orcish raids. The young prince defeated the black drake Searinox to retrieve its heart for the dwarf Feranor Steeltoe to forge into an orb of fire. Arthas used this magical item to kill the leading orc blademaster, causing the agressive orcs to withdraw. However, a more vile threat arose in the form of the plague of undeath. Jaina was sent to join Arthas, and they were to investigate the strange plague. They found an undead army and a plague-infested grainery. There, they saw the necromancer Kel'Thuzad in the town of Brill. They followed him to Andorhal. Kel'Thuzad had already infected the stored grain in Andorhal and shipped it out to outlying villages. Before Arthas killed him, Kel'Thuzad spoke of Mal'Ganis, a Nathrezim demon who was leading the Scourge. Jaina and Arthas travelled north to confront him in Stratholme. Along the way, Arthas and Jaina stopped in Hearthglen, where they hoped to rest. Instead, they found the town being attacked by masses of undead led by a pair of scheming liches. Then, to their horror, Arthas and Jaina discovered that the plague was not the means of mass murder, but rather, the means of turning innocent townsfolk into undead creatures. Arthas stayed behind as Jaina fled to find Uther. He stopped more grain caravans from spreading the plague by destroying them. Arthas' forces barely held out, and were on the verge of defeat when Uther arrived with reinforcements and saved the village. While travelling to Stratholme, Arthas was met by the enigmatic prophet Medivh. He gave him the same advice he gave Terenas--to travel west to Kalimdor. Arthas argued that his place was with his people, and vowed that he would not abandon them. Jaina suggested that the prophet might be right, but Arthas paid her no heed, and continued to Stratholme. When he arrived, Arthas found that the grain had already been distributed, and knew that the villagers would soon become undead. He ordered Uther and his knights to purge the entire town. Horrified, Uther rebuked him, saying that he would not follow such an order even if Arthas were already king. Proclaiming that Uther had committed treason, Arthas disbanded the Knights of the Silver Hand. Several of his soldiers left with Uther--as did Jaina--while those that remained loyal to Arthas joined him in slaying the corrupted townsfolk. As Arthas began to slay the citizens of Stratholme, he was met by Mal'Ganis himself, who was working to claim the souls of the townsfolk. Arthas worked to destroy them before Mal'Ganis could reach them. Finally, Arthas demanded a final showdown with the dreadlord. Mal'Ganis slipped away, however, vowing to meet him in Northrend. Arthas followed him with a detachment of his troops. They arrived a month later in Daggercap Bay. As they searched for a proper place to set up camp, Arthas came upon his good friend, Muradin Bronzebeard. At first, Muradin thought that Arthas was leading a rescue party sent to save his men, who had been besieged by the undead as they searched for the runeblade Frostmourne. Muradin and Arthas destroyed the nearby undead camp, but there was still no sign of Mal'Ganis. As Muradin and Arthas went to search for Frostmourne, an emissary from Lordaeron arrived in a zeppelin. He bore orders from Uther and Terenas, instructing Arthas and his men to return home. When Arthas returned to his base, the men had abandoned their posts, and were making their way through the forest towards their boats. Arthas had no intention of leaving before Mal'Ganis was destroyed. With the help of some indigenous mercenaries, he managed to reach and burn his boats before his men got to them. When his men arrived, Arthas betrayed his mercenaries, blaming them for destroying the ships, and they were killed. Arthas told his men that they had no means of going home, and the only way they were leaving Northrend was through victory. Arthas and his troops continued to press on to Draktharon Keep in search of Frostmourne. As he arrived, Mal'Ganis appeared to him, and foretold his death. Arthas went to search for Frostmourne with Muradin, leaving his captain to defend the camp. Arthas soon found the Guardian, who tried to keep Arthas from Frostmourne, apparently for his own protection. The Guardian fell, and Arthas and Muradin claimed their prize. But Muradin, reading an inscription, reported that the blade was cursed. Arthas asked the spirits of the cavern for the sword to be released form it's icy prison, proclaiming that he would "pay any price." Before the weapon broke free, Muradin was sacrificed, with no remorse from Arthas. With Frostmourne handed, Arthas defeated Mal'Ganis' minions, and finally confronted the demon. Mal'Ganis told him that the voice he was now hearing was that of the Lich King. However, that voice was instructing him to destroy Mal'Ganis. The dreadlord was destroyed, and Arthas fled into the frozen north, leaving his troops to die. Arthas soon lost the last remnants of sanity. The Betrayal Arthas travelled back to Lordaeron months later, and the kingdom rejoiced at the return of its champion. However, after kneeling before the throne of his father, King Terenas, Arthas drew Frostmourne and used it to slay him. Arthas fled the scene and was not heard from for many weeks. He reappeared in Vandermar village at the bidding of his new master, the Lich King. There, he met Tichondrius, a dreadlord like Mal'Ganis. Tichondrius explained that the sword had been designed to steal souls, and that Arthas' was the first one it claimed. Arthas didn't care. Arthas assembled the members of the Cult of the Damned that were hiding in Vandermar, and used their magical abilities as he travelled to Andorhal, where he was to recover Kel'Thuzad's corpse. Arthas killed Gavinrad the Dire, the paladin who guarded the crypt, and recovered the remains. This brought Kel'Thuzad's ghost into being, and he secretly instructed Arthas not to trust the dreadlords. Arthas quietly contemplated this. Kel'Thuzad's remains were badly decomposed and needed to be taken to Quel'Thalas to be revived. Tichondrius sent Arthas to recover a mystical urn, which could be used to transport Kel'Thuzad's remains. However, the urn was in the keeping of the Knights of the Silver Hand. Arthas killed two paladins, Ballador the Bright and Sage Truthbearer, who both condemned Arthas' betrayal. Then Arthas met up with Uther the Lightbringer again, who explained that the urn held his father's ashes. Arthas killed Uther and took the urn, then began the long journey to Quel'Thalas. Arthas met heavy resistance from the elves, who were lead by the ranger-general Sylvanas Windrunner. Nonetheless, he steadily pushed her forces back towards Silvermoon. Sylvanas tried to warn Silvermoon of the coming of the Scourge, but Arthas destroyed her camps and killed her. To make her pay for her insolence, he corrupted her spirit, transforming it into the first banshee. Arthas destroyed Silvermoon and used the Sunwell to bring Kel'Thuzad back as a lich. As they traveled to Alterac, Kel'Thuzad explained the full extent of the Second Invasion and the plans of Ner'zhul and the Scourge. Kel'Thuzad was in Alterac to destroy a clan of orcs who had taken control of a demon gate, which the lich would use to speak to the demon lord Archimonde. The orc bases defending the demon gate were led by two two farseers, Throk'Feroth and Mazrigos, and three blademasters, Khanzo, Jubei'Thos and Genjuros. The Scourge destroyed the orcs, and after Kel'Thuzad spoke with Archimonde, they set out for Dalaran. Archimonde had instructed them to acquire the Book of Medivh, which would allow Kel'Thuzad to summon him into their world. Despite the Kirin Tor's valiant efforts to repel the invasion, the Scourge fought through their magical defenses. Arthas killed the Archmage Antonidas and claimed the book. Arthas and his troops repelled all human forces as Kel'Thuzad began the lengthy procedure of summoning the demon lord. Once Archimonde arrived, he proclaimed that the Lich King was of no further use to him, and Tichondrius was placed in command of the Scourge. Arthas was left to wonder what would become of him and Kel'Thuzad, but the lich replied that all was going as the Lich King foresaw. The pair disappeared. The Frozen Throne Arthas was next seen several months later, in Kalimdor, where Tichondrius was employing the arcane power of the Skull of Gul'dan. Arthas told the recently freed demon hunter Illidan how to claim the skull's powers as his own, whereupon he could destroy Tichondrius. Illidan agreed to his plan, and Arthas disappeared again. Archimonde left a trio of dreadlords behind in the ruined palace gardens of Lordaeron to ensure that the nation remained under control, and to watch over the cunning servitors of Ner'zhul. When the demon lord was defeated, however, they were not originally aware of it. This changed several months later, when Arthas returned to reclaim his throne. He threatened the dreadlords, who immediately fled, and then called Sylvanas and Kel'Thuzad to his side. Together they crushed the remaining human refugees in the area, who were led by the paladins Dagren the Orcslayer, Halahk the Lifebringer and Magroth the Defender. However, during the battle, Arthas had a painful seizure, and felt the Lich King calling out to him. Despite his diminished powers, Arthas fought on until all the remaining humans were killed. Little did Arthas know that the Lich King's power had dwindled to the point that Sylvanas was no longer under his control. In secret, she attended a meeting with the three dreadlords, who told her that the Lich King's power was waning, and so the time had come to claim her vengeance. Arthas was ambushed in the capital city, and was forced to collect what loyalists he could find and fight his way through the dreadlords' forces, which included the powerful abomination Bloodfeast. As he arrived on the city's limits, he was saved by a cadre of banshees, who told him that Sylvanas had sent them to see him safely away. However, as they neared an empty spot in the forest, Arthas was attacked by Sylvanas, who shot him with a paralyzing arrow. Kel'Thuzad stepped in and chased her off at the last moment. But the Lich King's mental cries pierced Arthas' mind - he was told to return to Northrend, for forces were working to destroy the Frozen Throne. Immediately, Arthas prepared his fleet and set sail for Northrend, leaving Kel'Thuzad behind to watch over Lordaeron. Three weeks later, Arthas landed upon the familiar coast of Northrend, and unexpectedly found himself being attacked by blood elves led by Kael'thas, hungry for vengeance at their kingdom's destruction. Arthas was saved by Anub'arak, the former king of Azjol-Nerub. Kael warned that though the preliminary scouting force may have fallen, their main army would not be so easily defeated. Arthas worried that he may be right, and that they would never reach Icecrown before Illidan, but Anub'arak thought differently. He suggested that they delve into the shattered kingdom of Azjol-Nerub. Seeing little other choice, Arthas agreed. Anub'arak suggested raiding the hoard of Sapphiron, an ancient blue dragon and servant of Malygos, and equipping themselves with the dragon's treasures. Not only did they slay the dragon, but Arthas used what power he had left to raise Sapphiron into a powerful frost wyrm. When he came to the doors of Azjol-Nerub, Arthas found himself being fired upon by dwarves, who revealed themselves to be followers of Muradin who had remained there when their leader died. Now, they were led by Muradin's underling, Baelgun. Arthas battled through not only Baelgun's dwarves, but also the nerubian survivors, as he delved into the broken Spider Kingdom. Anub'arak's aid was invaluable, as he circumvented many traps which would have cut Arthas' stay fatally short. When Arthas faced off against Baelgun, the dwarf warned that the shifting earth had released an ancient evil from below the kingdom. As Arthas and Anub'arak delved deeper into the kingdom, that evil became apparent - the Faceless Ones, a powerful, vicious race thought only to exist in legend. Arthas and Anub'arak even managed to defeat the incredibly powerful Forgotten One. As they made their way to the Upper Kingdom, an earthquake collapsed part of the passage they were in, separating Anub'arak from Arthas. The young king had to rely upon his wits to see himself through several daunting booby traps before Anub'arak dug his way to Arthas. As they climbed out of Nerub, the Lich King contacted Arthas once again, and explained that he was losing his power, because the Frozen Throne had been cracked, and energy was seeping from it. Ner'zhul replenished Arthas' powers, knowing he would need them in the coming battle. When they finally reached the surface, they immediately had to contend with Illidan's forces. Vashj's naga and Kael's blood elves were there to contest Arthas' minions at every turn. Arthas, with Anub'arak's help, battled his way through their forces and magically activated the four Icecrown Obelisks around the glacier, opening the doors to the Frozen Throne. However, Illidan was waiting for him. The Lich King Triumphant After a short but intense battle, Illidan inadvertently left himself open and Arthas took advantage of it, slicing open the demon hunter's chest with Frostmourne. Illidan collapsed in the snow, as Arthas turned towards the doors of Icecrown. Arthas entered the hollow glacier and beheld a winding pinnacle chained to the ice. As he strode up the stairs towards his destiny, the voices of those he had forsaken flooded through his mind. He heard Muradin Bronzebeard, Uther, and Jaina calling out to him, yet he ignored them, continuing his ascent. Finally, he reached the pinnacle and before him he saw an icy cask. Inside was a suit of armour, arranged as if seated on a massive throne. Now only one voice spoke to him - the rasping whisper of Ner’zhul: Return the blade... complete the circle... release me from this prison! With a great cry of strength, Arthas brought Frostmourne to bear against the Lich King's icy prison and with a haunting scream, the Frozen Throne exploded, and shards of the crystal scattered on the ground. With Ner’zhul’s thorny helm at his feet, Arthas leaned forward, picked it up, and placed the unimaginably powerful artifact on his head. "Now," Ner'zhul's voice echoed within his mind, "we are one!" In that moment, Ner'zhul and Arthas' spirits fused into a single mighty being, just as the Lich King had always planned. Arthas thusly became one of the most powerful entities the world had ever known. With that, the outer wall of Icecrown fell away, and only the single pinnacle remained. Arthas sat silently upon the shattered throne, stared out across his new kingdom, still as a statue, and waited . . . = Current Activities = Currently Arthas, the new and immortal Lich King, resides in Northrend; there he has built a massive fortress around the Frozen Throne, Icecrown Citadel, which houses thousands of undead warriors. His trusted lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, commands the Scourge in the Plaguelands, while Anub'arak rules over the remnants of Azjol-Nerub. Sylvanas and her rebel Forsaken hold only the Tirisfal Glades, a small portion of the war-torn kingdom. Arthas possesses untold power and an endless hatred for the living. The dwarven explorer, Brann Bronzebeard, has speculated that it is only a matter of time before the Lich King seeks to destroy or dominate all sentient life on Azeroth - not just the Alliance and Horde, but also the dragons and perhaps even Elune herself. A purple flowering plant, perhaps only discovered recently, is named after the dark Prince; "Arthas' Tears." A potent alchemical concoction made from these flowers is also named after him, the "Gift of Arthas". = Pre-merger Insanity = Although the game states that Arthas loses his sanity soon after obtaining Frostmourne, strictly speaking, his confession to Tichondrius about feeling no pity regarding his actions actually offers evidence that he was not insane. Part of the criminal definition of insanity is the inability to make moral judgements or recognise the consequences of one's actions. Arthas speaks of feeling no pity regarding his actions in a manner that suggests he was actually vaguely surprised by that, and thus, he is identifying the evil of the acts (even if only by implication). It's also worth pointing out that one of the diagnostic criteria of generic psychosis (which is what the non-specific term "insanity" often implies) is a tendency for visual hallucinations, as well as various other symptoms which would have rendered Arthas cognitively incapable of acting as a battlefield general. Sociopathy or psychopathy, however, both of which are can also be implied by "insanity," would not impair Arthas' cognitive abilities as a commander, or his intellectual ability to recognize that his actions would be considered "wrong" by society (as seen in the real case of the BTK Killer). He could be considered to have reactively become obsessive and psychopathic or sociopathic due to the shock of the plight of Lordaeron. Given Arthas' background as a paladin, and his personality in general, the degree to which Frostmourne altered his basic personality was in fact probably fairly low. = Identity Crisis = There was some debate in the Warcraft community as to what happened when Arthas and Ner'zhul merged. Some were of the belief that Ner'zhul possessed Arthas, and that the former prince ceased to exist - others, using a literal interpretation of "Now, we are one!", believed the two ceased to exist as individuals and simply became one entity. There were also fans that speculated about further plot twists involving the Lich King, such as Arthas fighting Ner'zhul within their mind, or that Arthas might still have some good left in him. However, when asked, "What's the truth about the new Lich King?", Chris Metzen replied: "Arthas and Ner'zhul have become a perfect fusion of one being - Arthas' personality and body with Ner'zhul's wisdom, experience, power and EVIL." *'See also: Lich King' = Quotes = Terenas: What is this? What are you doing, my son? Arthas: Succeeding you, Father... (Arthas draws Frostmourne and impales Terenas). ---- Uther (dying): I dearly hope that there's a special place in hell waiting for you, Arthas. Arthas: We may never know, Uther. I intend to live forever. ---- (To the reborn Kel'Thuzad): "So, you're not upset about me killing you that one time?" ---- "Greetings, dreadlords. I should thank you for looking after my kingdom during my absence. However, I won't be requiring your services any longer." ---- Baelgun: I remember you, evil prince. You're the one that killed poor Muradin! Arthas: Get over it already. ---- "Illidan has mocked the Scourge long enough. It's time we put the fear of death back in him." ---- A nerubian (upon seeing Anub'arak): Look, brothers! The traitor king! Arthas: Who? Me? ---- "I was a fool to trust in the Light." ---- On the last level, after having his power renewed: "It's time to end the game. Once, and for all." = External links = *See also Wikipedia's article Arthas Menethil *WorldofWarcraft.com (source) *LunarFalls.com (source) Menethil, Arthas Menethil, Arthas Menethil, Arthas Menethil, Arthas Menethil, Arthas Menethil, Arthas Category:Old Heroes